Transmission Line and Design Review

Typical waveguides

When designing using an off the shelf antenna there are additional steps required to ensure peak performance.  Firstly, antenna specifications will most probably be given in terms of free space, rather than within any enclosure that you are planning to use.  The construction of the enclosure and the dielectric constant of the materials plus the placement of the antenna either inside or outside it will all affect performance.  In addition, the transmission line used to connect to the antenna must be matched to the antenna’s impedance as measured in its final location, as well as designed to minimise parasitic and reflective losses induced by the PCB design including any batteries that will be required.

From initial design through procurement – keeping an eye on the ball

Design review and testing are therefore vital steps in the delivery of a final system with the optimal performance for both range and power consumption.  This final layout and component choice must be followed through the procurement process to avoid the substitution of any component or materials that could change the performance, either detuning the antenna or introducing power losses affecting range and in-field battery life.

Trust the experts.  How akorIoT can help

The akorIoT team has an established track record in helping customers achieve superior results that deliver cost savings and In many cases during a design review it has become possible to switch to a PCB antenna which has zero cost compared to an off the shelf antenna.

Among the various RF transmission lines used in high frequency layout and routing, the coplanar waveguide design is probably the most commonly used. Placement is easily accomplished on the surface layer of the printed circuit board

Coplanar waveguide designs are easy to place in a PCB layout and are used for impedance controlled routing. akorIoT offers the calculation and measurement of the waveguide structures.

The team offer a range of services to help you get the best possible performance from an antenna, contact us today find out how we can help.